


Perfect Places

by valendo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Best Friends, Growing Apart, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-05
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-01-30 00:44:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12642672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valendo/pseuds/valendo
Summary: Kyungsoo and Jongin have been friends for years, and they've been through just about everything together. But starting senior year of high school, the boys go through experiences like no other, causing them to grow closer, and maybe further apart.





	1. First Day

Jongin was slowly awoken by the insistent sound of his phone buzzing on the pillow by his head, causing a groan to fall from his slightly chapped lips. Cracking his right eye open, the boy was surprised to see his bedroom still shrouded in darkness.  
Quickly fumbling for the offending sound of his cell phone, he squinted, attempting to read the name on the screen without the help of his contacts.  
The display read “Soo”, followed by a tacky green leaf emoji (courtesy of jongin’s so called “aesthetic purposes”).  
Swiping across the screen, the tan teenager answered the call with a grumbled “Hello?”  
“You forgot to set an alarm didn't you?” Kyungsoo’s voice came out deep and somehow cheerful.  
“W-what time is it?” Jongin sat up in his bed, rubbing at his unfocused eyes.  
“Six.” He answered quickly. “First day of school,” the elder explained in a slightly annoyed voice. “Kind of important.”  
“Shit,” the teenager swore, peeling himself out his bed. “I totally forgot,” he put down his cell phone, turning the call onto speaker as he tore through his dirty clothes bin, searching for any pair of jeans that were semi-nice.  
“I figured,” Jongin heard Kyungsoo give a tiny chuckle through the speaker of his phone. “Bus comes at six forty, so I’ll see you then, alright?”  
Jongin agreed, finally pulling out an old pair of black jeans from the pile as well as a plain red tee.  
“See ya.” Jongin answered, ending their call and peeling off his sleep shirt.  
He must’ve fallen asleep halfway through his episode of The Office because the computer was still open on his bed, fan whirring due to how hot it had become during the night. He swore again, moving the computer and shutting it down before digging under his bed for his backpack.  
He knew that the first day was coming up, but, as per usual, he left everything for the last minute (but apparently, he couldn't even stay awake long enough to get it done). So the boy was stuck at the crack ass of dawn to figure out what he had to pack for the first day of his senior year.  
Shoving a half empty notebook into the bag with a few pens and a water bottle, the boy deemed himself prepared… but his appearance, that was a different story. Without enough time to shower, Jongin ran some gel through his already slightly greasy hair and threw on his lackluster outfit.  
Chucking a peanut butter granola bar in his bag, the time read exactly six thirty-five. The teenager sighed in relief and took a quick second to breathe.  
The bus would be arriving down the street soon, so he slipped on his sneakers, and ran out of the house. His mother had already left for work, so he made sure to lock the front door and check to see that the garage doors were shut. After confirming both, he headed down to the bus stop a few blocks down.  
He caught sight of Kyungsoo already standing there, coffee mug gripped in one hand, his phone in the other.  
As he grew close enough, Jongin greeted the elder with a slightly tired, “Hey, Soo.”  
The smaller boy turned at the voice and smiled at seeing Jongin. “I’m glad you made it,” he laughed lightly. “I was starting to think you were gonna ditch on the first day.”  
“I wish.” The younger laughed. “But thanks for waking me up. I fell asleep watching The Office last night and completely forgot.”  
Kyungsoo shook his head teasingly. “Of course you did. But no problem,” the boy smirked. “Can't have you losing attendance points in P.E. again this year.”  
Jongin rolled his eyes. “I had mono.”  
“I know, I know,” Kyungsoo patted him on the shoulder playfully. “But really, I can't believe it’s senior year already. We’re gonna slay this year, right?”  
Jongin chuckled at Kyungsoo’s usual, motivational antics and nodded, “Right.” 

///

“You must show all of your work, or you won't receive credit.”  
The middle aged woman stood at the front of the classroom, bun pulled tightly on her head and a marker clasped in her manicured hand.  
“And I have a zero tolerance policy for late work. If it is not on my desk by the end of the school day, it is automatically a zero. Everybody understand?”  
The kids in the class all groaned out in agreement and Jongin turned to look at the far end of the class, meeting eyes with Kyungsoo who mirrored his grimace.  
She’s a bitch, Jongin mouthed over to the elder boy who chuckled and nodded as if to say ‘I know right’.  
“On that note, I expect twenty six summer packets on my desk by ninth period, no exceptions. You may start a pile now.”  
Jongin dug through his bag, finding the papers where he had shoved them in the pocket of his notebook. He smoothed out the crinkled edges and walked to the front of the room, placing his on top of the slowly accumulating pile. Kyungsoo placed his down on top of Jongin’s, work outlined and highlighted in his usual studious way.  
“This class is gonna be the death of me,” Jongin whispered to the elder as they passed.  
Kyungsoo laughed in understanding. “I know, especially because it’s math.”  
The tan boy shook his head. “Don't even remind me.”  
Much to the class’s delight, the bell finally rang out to signal the end of class. Everybody stood and began out the door until ‘Mrs. Bitch’ spoke up.  
“Everyone back in your seats! The bell doesn't dismiss you, I do!”  
There was a collective groan. 

///

“At least we have classes together this year,” Kyungsoo said as they walked through the cramped library, his schedule gripping in his hand. “Last year sucked.”  
“Well that’s because you decided to take all AP classes,” Jongin teased, moving out of the way of a group of choir students carrying a table to the other side of the room.  
As the boys circled the room, students bustled around, setting up their own booths or just browsing- as the boys were.  
“I know. Worst decision of my life.” The elder rolled his eyes with a small, dry chuckle.  
Blue streamers were hanging from the ceiling, getting caught on their heads every few steps. They walked around the activity fair as if they were actually going to join something. The elder didn't join many leisurely clubs, rather settling for resumé builders. And Jongin would rather just float around, never tying himself down to one group.  
But the activity fair was held during their designated study hall, so it wasn't like they had a choice.  
The two friends had both joined the school’s Interact club freshman year, which hardly counted. The group did community volunteer activities, which Kyungsoo had originally joined for the sake of looking good on applications, but he ended up forcing Jongin to join and they found themselves enjoying it.  
And once a year, they got to skip school and go to the beach. (Well technically it was a beach cleanup day, but they finished by noon and had the rest of the day to relax by the waves- except the board had only cleared the trip for the middle of February, but that's beside the point). Kyungsoo and Jongin enjoyed volunteering at various places throughout their community and it gave them something to do other than watch movies and do homework.  
And well, for Kyungsoo’s sake, it did look good on applications.  
As the boys approached the choir table, Kyungsoo inwardly cringed and ducked low, in attempt to sneak by, but to no avail.  
“Kyungsoo,” the loud voice called from behind the table, making the boy drop his head in surrender.  
Jongin began to laugh behind his hand.  
“Wow, you look so good! Did you get a haircut over the summer?” The boy walked closer as he spoke, towering over Kyungsoo. The tall teenager’s brown hair flopped over his dark eyes as he smiled dumbly.  
“Um, yea, Minho. I did. Thanks.” Kyungsoo nodded painfully and looked up at the senior.  
Jongin was standing a few feet away from the interaction, giggling loudly.  
“I-well-You never returned my calls.” Minho stared down at the younger, eyes soft as he bounced on the balls of his feet nervously.  
“Oh yea, um, sorry about that. I was just busy, like, with work and stuff.”  
“Yea-” Minho nodded spastically. “Yea I understand. I just wasn't sure if you were still getting them…”  
“No-no I was still getting them,” Kyungsoo explained. “I just, didn't have time to answer, I guess.”  
Jongin threw his head back in a laugh while cringing harder than he ever had.  
“And those pictures-”  
Kyungsoo sighed, eyes drooped as his brain flashed with the revolting sight of Minho’s naked body, posed in bed with his tiny dick resting in his hand. He shivered at the memory. “Yea, don't worry, I deleted them.”  
“Oh ok,” Minho nodded. “Thanks, then.” He paused. “I hope you had a nice summer. I heard you were working at the diner-”  
“I'm sorry, Minho,” the younger of the two interrupted, thumb jutting back at Jongin. “I have to go with Jongin to the cafe,” He lied on the spot. “He needs to buy his milk before they shut it down…”  
“Oh yea,” Minho waved him off, a small, forced smile on his face. “Go ahead. We can talk later.”  
“Sure. Later.” Kyungsoo lied again before scurrying over to Jongin who had walked over to the food table, shoving chocolate chip cookies down throat.  
Kyungsoo sighed in relief, grabbing Jongin's hand and pulling him toward the door.  
“What'd you say to him so you could go?” Jongin asked after swallowing his desserts.  
“I told him I had to go buy you milk before the cafe closed.” Kyungsoo shrugged, grin slowly growing on his face.  
“Soo!” Jongin slapped his shoulder. “You know I'm lactose intolerant!”  
Kyungsoo giggled, “But Minho didn't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I'm your angsty kaisoo writer hahaha . You can call me V  
> Thank you for deciding to read my first ever chaptered fic and I hope you enjoy!  
> This is going to be a bit of a rollercoaster so buckle up and get ready.  
> I always appreciate comments- let me know how I'm doing, what you like/dislike or whatever else!  
> So thank you! I'll shut up now  
> -V


	2. Pep Rally

Jongin stood at his locker, shoving the last of his books into the blue backpack gripped in his tan hand. Around him, there was excited chatter over the upcoming weekend. Even though it had only been four days since the first day of school, the tall boy still found himself bristling with a bit of excitement. And friday nights movies were a tradition with Kyungsoo, so it wasn’t surprising that he couldn't wait.   
Zipping up his bag, Jongin started down toward the gymnasium, following the flow of students and faculty. As he walked, he recognized a few kids from his grade, all dressed in their sports attire. Two or three freshman cheerleaders passed him on the right, their ponytails bouncing as they walked. Most of the football players were nowhere to be found, probably due to the fact that they rarely ever came to school, attending only rallies and games. Jongin was glad he wasn’t part of a sport for exactly this reason- he hated being the center of attention. He would much rather just blend into the background and not have to worry about letting other people down. For that reason, he stuck strictly to photography.   
If anyone was to pick up their school newspaper, not once would they see Jongin and Kyungsoo's names separately. The friends always worked together- Kyungsoo writing and Jongin taking the pictures. It was push-and-pull, give-and-take, and it always worked.   
As he entered the gym, the noise instantly increased with everyone attempting to talk over the school band playing pep tunes up in the bleachers. The boy squinted his eyes, actively searching for Kyungsoo, who had texted him earlier, telling him to meet him so they could sit together. Just as the music cut off and their principal grabbed the microphone, Jongin met eyes with his best friend who was waving at him from the center of the bleachers. He shuffled to where Kyungsoo had saved him a seat and sat quickly, dropping his bag at his feet.   
“Hey,” Jongin greeted as he sat, smiling for a moment over to his best friend.   
“Hey, did you get all your stuff?” Kyungsoo asked.   
The younger nodded, patting his heavy bag.   
“Attention everyone!” The principal said into the microphone, his deep voice booming over the multiple speakers located around the gym. “Welcome to our annual fall pep rally!” His enthusiasm was mirrored by the hundreds of students in the bleachers who began clapping. Jongin clapped as well, although he couldn’t care less about sports, he was just happy they got to skip final block.  
“Give a nice round of applause for our 2017 Varsity football team!” His voice bounced around the crowded room as the cheers erupted from the students. From the back door, a herd of boys came running in, hooting and hollering. The cheerleaders followed closely behind them, waving blue flags and throwing various tumbling skills.   
Jongin’s expression turned sour as he saw the captain join the football team, hollering and smacking his chest. The boy didn’t have the best relationship with Parker since their fight the previous year and they didn’t really have the best relationship before that, either. When Kyungsoo had come out as gay, the school barely paid it any mind, but Parker… that was a different story. Not a single day went by that he didn’t call Kyungsoo a “fucking faggot” or a “gay gook”. Kyungsoo always ignored the words, but Jongin began to hate the boy with a passion.   
It wasn’t until spring break of their Sophomore year that Jongin let Parker really know how he felt about him. 

 

Jongin had a red solo cup gripped in his hand as he walked around the huge house, searching for his best friend who had left him to go find a quiet corner where they could get away from everyone. He entered the kitchen, eyes widening as he saw a girl standing on the counter, wearing nothing but her thong and a bra with a bottle of vodka in her hand. Boys were standing around the table, shouting expletives to her as she laughed and danced messily to the beat of the song playing through the house. Jongin grimaced and rolled his eyes before continuing his search.  
The teenager sighed in relief when he arrived in the backyard and saw Kyungsoo standing at the far end of the property. He smiled at the boy, but furrowed his eyebrows as Kyungsoo sent him a worried glance back. It was then that he noticed Parker and a group of friends surrounding the smaller boy, horrible smiles on their faces.   
As Jongin grew closer, he began to hear what they were saying.   
“So how does dick taste, faggot?” Parker’s voice was full of venom. “You’re so low, I wouldn't be surprised if you sucked off every guy that would take you-”   
He words were cut off and finished in a garble as Jongin’s fist connected with his cheek. He threw his head back, caught off by the force of the unexpected attack. The tan boy was somewhat surprised at his own attack, but the blood pumping through his veins was hot and Parker needed to know his place.   
Jongin was full of fury as he grabbed Parker’s neck and pulled him up close. “You better fuck off or we’re going to have some real problems here,” Jongin bit out, easily deflecting all of Parker’s attempts to hit him back. The elder was obviously drunk, stumbling in Jongin’s grip. “Don’t ever bother him again.” Pushing him backwards, the older boy stumbled and fell onto his ass, instantly being lifted up by his crew of ‘sissy friends’.   
Without another thought, Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand, dragging him away as quickly as possible. The younger of the two could feel his heart racing and head whirring as they grew farther away from the party. Only when they were a good few blocks away did Jongin stop and let go of Kyungsoo’s hand.   
They turned to each other and in an instant, there were hot tears falling down the smaller boy’s cheeks.   
“I’m so sorry, Kyungsoo,” Jongin whispered, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’ll never let him bother you again. I promise.” 

 

With the memory of Kyungsoo crying in his shoulder all night long replaying in his mind, Jongin subconsciously scooted closer to the boy on the bleachers, making their shoulders touch.   
As the principal called the final sports team out to the floor, Jongin turned to Kyungsoo. “We’re doing movie Fridays again this year, right?”   
Kyungsoo hid a small smirk and shrugged. “Eh- I’m not sure. Don’t you think we’re getting a bit too old?”   
Jongin’s heart plummeted and he couldn't help but drop his head, a pout instantly forming on his pink lips.   
“Oh God, J, don't pout. I was messing with you. Of course we’re doing movie Fridays.”   
Jongin’s head snapped up and he slapped Kyungsoo’s shoulder dramatically. “Stop that,” he whined.   
“Sorry,” Kyungsoo chuckled, reaching out to rub Jongin’s back.   
“I hate you,” Jongin groaned but found himself leaning into the elder’s touch anyway. 

///  
By the time Jongin finished his hot shower, Kyungsoo had made all of the snacks and set them out on his bedside table. The elder was arranging all the pillows on his bed when Jongin entered, toweling off his wet hair.   
Kyungsoo’s eyes widened briefly at seeing the boy walking around his room ass naked. The elder had obviously seen his best friend naked hundreds of times, but his shamelessness still seemed to shock the smaller. The elder figured he would walk around naked too if he was built like a Greek God. But instead, he opted for large sweaters to hide the pudge on his hips.   
“Can I borrow some underwear?” Jongin asked. “I forgot to bring a clean pair.”   
Kyungsoo cleared his throat and turned his attention back up to the TV mounted on his wall. “Yea sure.” The elder busied himself with munching on the potato chips he put out and sipping his water.   
“Thanks, Soo,” Jongin smiled, leaning over to dig through the elder’s drawers. As he bent over, Kyungsoo got a full view of the boy’s ass. His heart began to beat hard in his chest, ears burning. The smaller tried to shake the image of Jongin’s bare ass from his head, but with the close proximity of his best friend, it proved impossible. He fought off the hardness from growing between his own legs by focusing solely on the opening credits of the movie.   
After going through Kyungsoo’s drawers Jongin ultimately pulled on a pair of the elder’s plaid boxers and one of his many shirts that he kept at Kyungsoo’s house. The blushing boy finally started breathing comfortably with Jongin’s tan skin covered. The taller boy crawled into the bed, instantly clinging onto his best friend. His head rested heavily on Kyungsoo’s chest, causing it to move up and down with his methodical breathing.   
The movie played on the TV, opening credits for The Avengers droning on quietly. Kyungsoo picked at the popcorn, popping a few pieces into his mouth. Jongin looked up at the elder, opening his mouth childishly. He indulged in his request, feeding him the snack carefully.   
Kyungsoo sighed and pulled the boy closer without thinking, rubbing his hair. “You're like a giant toddler, you know that?”   
Jongin laughed and faked a pout while swallowing his last bite. “I like it.”  
“Like what?” Kyungsoo asked, still running his hand through the younger’s hair. Jongin purred at the touch, sighing contentedly .   
“That you take care of me.” Jongin paused, blushing a bit. “I just love that we’re friends. You’re like my other half.”   
Kyungsoo smiled, eyes softening. He knew Jongin got all emotional and soft when he was tired. And he also knew that there was no way the younger boy would stay awake through the movie, but then again, he never did. “I love that we’re friends too. You’re the best.”   
“I love you, Soo.” Jongin mumbled into Kyungsoo’s neck before closing his eyes and sighing tiredly.   
Kyungsoo’s heart jumped and he muttered out a quick “Love you, too,” knowing Jongin had no idea he didn’t mean the words in the same way.


	3. It Hurts

The coffee cup gripped in Kyungsoo’s hand warmed his cold skin in the slightly chilly air. His backpack was heavy on his shoulders, textbooks weighing him down slightly as he scuffed his vans lightly on the sidewalk. The teenager arrived at the stop sign that served as his bus stop as his phone display showed turned to 6:39am. Turning around in search for Jongin, he squinted down the street, making out the shape of Jongin barrelling ungracefully toward him. His heart jumped at the adorable sight of his best friend sprinting, hair flying back in the wind.  
The sight of the yellow bus speeding down the street behind Jongin had the elder cracking up. Jongin noticed the upcoming vehicle and sped up even more, shoes smacking the pavement as he grew closer to the stop. Kyungsoo was giggling before bracing for impact because Jongin was getting much closer, and _wasn’t stopping_. The tan boy slowed down very slightly before smacking into Kyungsoo, causing him to plop down onto his ass with a grunt.  
“What the hell, Kim Jongin?” The elder groaned, pushing himself back up to his feet where Jongin was panting, hands on his knees. The bus stopped next to them.  
“I’m sorry, Soo,” He apologized between deep breaths. “It was meant to be a hug, but I didn’t realize how fast I was going,” He tried to explain, cheeks tinted a deep pink.  
“Are you boys getting on?” The bus driver called out, door open.  
“Yea, shit, sorry” Kyungsoo reoriented himself, adjusting his backpack and stepping up the stairs onto the bus.  
Sitting in his usual seat in the back, Jongin plopped down next to him, running a hand through his hair. “Really though,” The boy muttered. “Are you alright?”  
Kyungsoo nodded, pulling out his cell phone and headphones. “Yeah, but you almost missed the bus, J.” Kyungsoo chided slightly. “It’s only the second week of school.”  
“I know,” The younger let his long hair flop over his forehead as he accepted the headphone being offered to him. “I got halfway down the block and realized I forgot my Architecture book.”  
Kyungsoo chortled in understanding before selecting a song from his phone, both boys falling into a tired silence. Jongin tapped his toes to the R &B song Kyungsoo chose, going through freestyle choreography in his head. The boy loved to dance, yet never received formal training, instead just following his passion and watching arbitrary tutorials on YouTube. School was just too important junior year, so he pushed off dancing for another year- consoling himself on the fact that he would apply to only dance universities one he graduated.  
Kyungsoo continued to sip tiredly at his coffee, instantly feeling himself grow more alert as the caffeine began to run through his veins. He watched out the window as they drove down the familiar streets of their small town. The seventeen-year-old had lived in the tiny northern town for his entire life, hardly ever branching out of the city borders. The countdown to college was quickly shrinking, which had the junior’s heart speeding up in excitement just at the thought. He had always been in love with cities, especially New York, so he was sure to never apply anywhere else.  
Whilst Jongin applied anywhere and everywhere, just hoping he would get accepted to any type of dance school.  
Jongin’s high-pitched sneeze had Kyungsoo breaking out of his thoughts. The younger rubbed his runny nose with the back of his hand, eyes slightly squinted shut.  
“Are you getting sick?” Kyungsoo asked, turning toward the younger and clicking the button to turn down the music.  
“Maybe-” Jongin sniffled. “Not sure. I woke up with a bit of a cold, but I think I’ll be fine.” He explained, leaning his head back into the seat.  
“Okay,” Kyungsoo drawled before digging through his backpack and pulling out a small pack of tissues to hand to Jongin. The younger thanked him, blowing his nose quickly.  
The bus jolted suddenly to a stop outside of the school, the door pushed open to let the students off. The two boys picked up their stuff and disembarked before entering the school.  
There were students milling around the main office as the friends entered- way too awake for Kyungsoo’s opinion. A sophomore boy was already running through the halls, sneakers squeaking against the tile floors as he flailed around with his friends. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as they walked down the hall to their lockers, separating for a moment to get the materials needed for the day before meeting up again in the middle of the hall.  
“You did the project, right?” Jongin asked, voice slightly hoarse.  
“For Pre Calc?”  
Jongin nodded, picking at his fingernails.  
“Yeah, I did. Let me guess… you didn't?” Kyungsoo teased, finishing off his coffee.  
“No I did!” Jongin defended, lips jutting out in a tiny pout. “I just didn’t know if I should have double-spaced the header or not.”  
Kyungsoo huffed. “I hate MLA, ugh. I have no clue. I just wrote my name.”  
“Same,” Jongin muttered back, head lolling back to rest on the lockers as he sniffed.  
As the hallway filled with more people, Kyungsoo moved closer to his best friend who had closed his eyes in attempt to get every second of rest possible.  
“Really, J, are you alright?” Kyungsoo felt a brief feeling of worry fill him at the sight of Jongin with snot in his nose and eyes puffier than usual.  
“I-I’ll live. I don’t want to miss today, I have a test in creative writing.” He explained, stopping once to cough in the middle of the sentence.  
“Yeah, but you could get sicker and miss even more time.” Kyungsoo tried to reason with him before reaching out to feel his forehead. He was burning up. “Jongin! You have a fever!”  
“I’m fine, Kyungsoo,” He muttered. “I’ll go straight home and sleep after school.”  
Kyungsoo huffed at his best friend’s persistence. “You’re probably contagious.”  
“Well, I’m not planning on kissing anyone in school today, so it’s fine.”  
“Fine,” Kyungsoo gave up, face heating up slightly with the younger’s words. “But don’t say I didn’t tell you.” As he spoke, the first bell rang, causing movement to begin in the halls.  
“Okay, Soo.” Jongin sniffled again, picking up his backpack. “I’ll see you in Study.”  
Kyungsoo grumbled and agreed before heading off to his own first period.

The short junior sat through his first two periods before it was finally time for his study hall with Jongin. Packing up his binders, the boy took off toward the library and checked in with the teacher before sitting down at their usual table in the corner. Jongin was usually a little later than Kyungsoo, so the elder just pulled out his books and started working on his homework.  
Three open-ended problems in, Kyungsoo was surprised that Jongin hadn’t arrived yet. Pulling out his phone, he sent the boy a quick text reading, where r u? Before going back to his work. Three more problems later and no reply, the boy begin to really wonder where his best friend could’ve been. He was usually the last to leave the locker room after his second period gym class, but this was just a bit too long.  
Kyungsoo sighed and packed up his stuff, heading down to the boys locker room to search for the tall boy. He checked his phone once more before entering, still no answer. He walked cautiously into the locker room, holding his binder to his chest.  
“Jongin?” He called out, his voice echoing against the tile walls. He couldn’t hear anyone in there. Um fucking creepy, the boy thought with a wince. “Jongin?” He called once more before rounding the corner to the showers.  
The sight of Jongin lying on the floor of the shower room, wearing only his boxers had Kyungsoo gasping and concealing his scream.  
“What the fuck,” He shrieked, running toward his unconscious best friend. “Jongin wake up,” He called, kneeling next to him and shaking his shoulders. Kyungsoo’s heart was racing, hands beginning to shake. “Jongin,” He said again, continuing to shake him. Panic quickly started to fill his body, making his stomach feel hot and throat tight. He was panicking, having no clue what to do. Should he call 9-1-1? Should he get the nurse? Should he keep trying to wake him up?  
Finally, with about the twentieth shake of his body, Jongin peeled one of his swollen eyes open. “Oh my god,” He rasped out, voice sluggish and low.  
“Jesus christ,” Kyungsoo gasped, his body beginning to shake with relief, a single tear rolling down his cheek. “What happened?”  
Jongin was slow, taking close to thirty seconds just to lift his head.  
“I-I was changing after gym,” Jongin slowly tried to explain, struggling with every word. “And I started to feel so hot,” He took a second to breath deeply. “I really thought my skin was going to burn off. So I ran in here and tried to get in a cold shower as fast as possible,” He propped himself up on his elbows with great effort, looking around at his surroundings and lack of clothing. “I guess I never made it.”  
“God,” Kyungsoo cried, head falling forward to rest on Jongin’s burning stomach. A few tears of relief escaped his eyes as he caught his breath. “You’re such an idiot, Jongin,” Kyungsoo sat back up, eyes still wet.  
Jongin saw the tears in the elder’s eyes, but chose to keep quiet because he knew Kyungsoo hated crying.  
“I know,” Jongin spoke, not at all feeling like himself.  
“Let’s go home, okay? I’ll have my mom pick us up.” Kyungsoo sighed, standing up and attempting to help Jongin up on wobbling legs.  
The younger was heavy on his feet as he dressed with the help of the smaller, eyes nearly falling closed with every movement.  
Kyungsoo had Jongin sit on the bench in the locker room as he called his mom, a wet paper towel on his head. When he came back, they sat facing one another silently.  
“Do you think you should go to the hospital?” Kyungsoo asked, the thought just occurring to him.  
Jongin shook his head quickly. “No-no, I just need to go to sleep.”  
“Okay,” Kyungsoo said. “I’m trusting you to tell me how you’re feeling, alright?”  
The sick boy nodded. “I just want to sleep.”  
Kyungsoo’s heart strings strained tightly. “Okay, I’ll get you home.”

///  
“So what exactly happened, Kyungsoo?” The short woman asked, sitting across from the teenage boy at their dinner table.  
Kyungsoo sighed, swallowing a bite of his sandwich. “Jongin was feeling sick this morning, but refused to go home,” He explained with a hard frown. “Then third period, I found him passed out in the shower room.” Kyungsoo shuttered at the image again. “Mom, I was so scared.” His head fell forward, eyes brimming with tears once again as he recounted the fresh memories and emotions.  
“Oh honey, I’m sure,” She reached across the table to rub his arm soothingly. “How did you get him up?”  
“I just shook him by the shoulders,” He shook his head. “I was so helpless, what if he was actually hurt?”  
“Kyungsoo, don’t do this to yourself. Jongin was okay, so don’t worry, alright?” The middle aged woman consoled him, heart clenching. Her son was never the emotional type, so she could easily tell he was shaken up.  
“Mom,” He sobbed openly, unable to hold it in any longer. “What do I do?” He cried. “I love him so much it hurts,” The boy grabbed at his chest, right at his heart. “It hurts so bad.”  
Mrs. Do stood up and pulled her son into a tight hug, rubbing his back. “It’s okay, sweetie. Shhh, it’s okay. Everything is going to be alright.”  
Kyungsoo just continued to sob.


	4. Sick

School without Jongin was odd and Kyungsoo couldn’t stand it. Between every class, the brunette teen caught himself looking for his best friend, only to be reminded once again of his absence.   
After Kyungsoo’s mom took him back to his house two days prior, Jongin’s mother had decided to take him to the doctor, resulting in him receiving an antibiotic and a warning to be more careful next time. It was just a bad fever and exhaustion, supposedly. Kyungsoo was thankful that the boy would be alright- and that he would finally be able to see him after school that day.   
As Kyungsoo unwrapped his sandwich, he could hear Ethan and Lucas chatting loudly about the new girl at the end of their lunch table. Ethan was waving enthusiastically as he spoke, taking sips of his coffee between dramatic sentences.   
The brunette didn’t bother entering the conversation, opting instead to take large bite of his PB&J while listening to his comedic friends.   
“Have you seen her yet, Kyungsoo?” Lucas turned to the boy and asked, running his hand through his blonde hair.   
“Nope,” He answered simply before speaking up again. “She’s a senior?”   
Lucas nodded and Ethan jumped in. “Yeah man, huge tits.” He gestured to his chest, eyes sparkling.   
Kyungsoo shook his head humorously and rolled his eyes at them. Their daily antics were nothing short of entertaining, although mostly childish. Kyungsoo enjoyed their simplicty. No drama.   
“Oh yea, I forgot you like dick,” Ethan muttered, cackling before his expression turned sober quickly. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that you know-”   
Kyungsoo smacked the back of the boy’s head as he chuckled. “You’re impossible,” Kyungsoo said, a light lilt in his voice.   
“But still dude, she’s got the nicest boobs I’ve ever seen.” Lucas added with a grin and a chuckle.   
Kyungsoo finished his sandwich quietly after that and counted down the minutes until lunch was over. He just wanted to go see Jongin.

///  
Kyungsoo couldn't stop his legs from bobbing in anxiousness as he rode his bus home. He both both excited and nervous to see Jongin. Nervous; because he could still feel the embarrassment of his emotional freak out in the shower room. While he was excited to see his best friend because it had been close to 48 hours since they had seen each other which was quite an abnormality for them.   
He ran into his house quickly, changing his clothes and grabbing the soup he made for Jongin before running down the street to his best friend’s house. The three block trip was even more familiar than the back of his hand due to the fact that he had traveled the road probably close to a million times in his life.   
After less than two minutes of power walking, the teenager arrived at the Kim’s house at the end of the street. Kyungsoo used the spare key that he was given to open the front door, entering and locking it behind him. He slipped off his shoes quickly before heading towards their kitchen. He knew that Mr. and Mrs. Kim were both at work, so he made sure he didn’t leave any messes for them as he walked around, putting the soup carefully into the fridge.   
The brunette took a deep breath before walking down the hallway to Jongin’s room, where the door was unusually closed.   
He knocked quietly.   
“Hello?” Jongin rasped out back.   
“Hey, it’s Kyungsoo.” The elder had never felt this awkward around the boy before; Never once hesitating before barging into his room. But for some reason he could feel anxiety at the thought.   
“Oh, come in,” Jongin spoke quickly.   
Kyungsoo twisted the knob and entered, met with the sight of Jongin’s messier-than-usual room and the sick boy lying underneath a mountain of covers, hair greasy and stubble growing slightly above his lip.   
All of his previous nervousness dissipated at seeing his best friend again, instantly filled with happiness. It had been so long and Jongin… Jongin just seemed to calm him.   
“J,” Kyungsoo said, voice full of fondness as a small smile grew on his face. He walked further into the room and took a seat on the edge of the younger’s bed, reaching out to rub the taller’s leg through the blankets.   
“Hey Soo,” Jongin’s face fell into an easy smile, before cracking into a cough.   
“You okay?” Kyungsoo scooted closer. “Have you gotten any better?”   
The boy wiped his mouth tiredly. “Yeah, my fever broke last night,” He paused. “But I still have a lot of symptoms I guess. Like a cough, runny nose,” he grunted. “And I just really feel like crap.”   
Kyungsoo gave a sympathetic smile. “Well at least you’re improving,” he shrugged with a chuckle, Jongin following afterward with a snort.   
It was quiet for one moment before the elder spoke up again. “Are you feeling good enough to get up?”   
“Um,” Jongin’s eyebrows pulled in. “I guess. Why?”   
Kyungsoo giggled, reaching out to run his hand through the sick boy’s dirty hair. “You need a shower.” 

 

While Jongin was in the bath (his legs were still just a bit too weak for stand for that long), Kyungsoo cleaned up his room. He threw away the used packages of tissues, empty water bottles and ultimately decided to open a window because it was quite stuffy in there. By the time he was finished, the room was bright and clean once again, looking a little less like a disaster.   
Jongin walked out of his bathroom clad in a pair of loose sweatpants and no shirt. His hair was wet and flopping over his forehead, causing water droplets to scatter on his newly shaven face. Kyungsoo thought he looked absolutely precious.  
“Feeling better?” The elder asked, watching the taller slip socks on his feet.   
“Yeah, just exhausted,” He huffed, sitting down at the edge of his bed, panting a bit. “Who would’ve thought taking a bath would tire me out so much?”   
Kyungsoo chuckled, moving to sit down on the edge of Jongin’s newly clean bed.   
“Thanks for cleaning by the way,” Jongin rasped out, eyes almost falling shut as he spoke.   
“No problem- and Jongin, you’re not contagious anymore right?” He asked, receiving a “No” from the younger.   
“Okay then- scoot over a bit, I wanna lie with you.”   
Jongin did as directed, moving his body to the wall side of his bed, getting under the covers with his best friend.   
“Do you wanna nap or watch a show?” Kyungsoo asked, relaxing instantly into warmth of the blankets.   
“Nap,” Jongin said, eyes already closed. “‘M tired.”   
“‘Kay, go to sleep, J.” Kyungsoo sighed, pulling the sleepy boy into his arms, feeling as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

Hours later, when Jongin did wake up, Kyungsoo greeted him with a bowl of his homemade soup. Jongin thanked him profusely, sipping gratefully on the chicken broth as they sat at the kitchen table. Mrs. Kim would be home from work any minute, so Kyungsoo made sure to heat her up some soup as well, saving her a trip to the supermarket for one more night.   
After finishing his warm meal, Jongin held much more color in his face, actually cracking a few jokes as Kyungsoo told him about what he missed at school.   
“Yea, supposedly the new girl is super hot,” Kyungsoo chuckled, taking a sip of his water.   
“Really? That’s exciting,” Jongin faked enthusiasm. “Ethan must be over the moon.”   
“Oh yeah, he wouldn't shut up about all lunch period.”  
Jongin laughed. “Typical.”   
They talked easily for another hour before Kyungsoo decided it would be best to get home. It was still a school night. Jongin said goodbye with a small hug, explaining he would probably be back on Friday.   
Kyungsoo walked home with a smile plastered on his face.


End file.
